Courtney Hawkins, Wyatt Mathisen earning MLB prospect honors

Former Carroll, Calallen baseball stars living the dream

CORPUS CHRISTI - A pair of former Coastal Bend baseball stars seem to be well on their way on becoming stars at the pro level.

Carroll graduate Courtney Hawkins, who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox with the 13th overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, and Calallen graduate Wyatt Mathisen, who was drafted as the 69th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the same draft, are common sights on any national ranking of top MLB prospects. ESPN, Baseball America, MLB.com, you name it. Each and every nationally renowned site ranks these two guys in some capacity.

Hawkins is the higher ranked player of the two. He played in 59 games in the minors during his first year as a professional. Hawkins spent his first 38 games in rookie ball and hit well enough to earn a promotion to low-A ball in Kannapolis, N.C. After hitting .308 in 15 games there, Chicago decided to give him one more bump up to high-A ball in Winston-Salem where he finished off his season in a playoff race. Such rapid advancement is unusual for first-year players that were drafted out of high school, but Hawkins' physical maturity has allowed him to progress at a quicker rate than most.

Here's what is crazy about the way Hawkins produced last season: Not only was he an 18-year old kid fresh out of physics class that was adjusting to living away from home, he was an 18-year old kid that was constantly being moved around by his organization. Hawkins told me that he had a condo at Rookie League, then packed his things as he got word he was moving up, moved into a hotel in Kannapolis before settling into an apartment for just a few days before he had to pack up his things again when he was promoted to Winston-Salem. In Winston-Salem, Hawkins once again checked into a hotel for few days before moving in with some teammates until the season was over. This is part of the minor league experience that goes overlooked and Hawkins did a heck of a job handling a whirlwind of new challenges in his personal life while still producing on the field.

MLB.com ranks Hawkins as the 68th best prospect in baseball right now while ESPN insider Keith Law has him at number 74, though both are clear that Hawkins is the best prospect in the White Sox organization by far, which is something that Baseball America agrees with. Hawkins is a great all-around athlete that projects to be a power hitter that can also maintain an economical average. For such a built guy, Hawkins also has good speed and projects to be a 20 homer-20 steals guy at the major league level in a few years. And Hawkins, who was the winning pitcher in the 2010 Class 5A state title game, still has a very strong arm and his cannon suits him well for a future grazing right field in Chicago.

Mathisen spent his entire first year as a pro playing for the Gulf Coast League Pirates, where he continued the winning ways he was used to as a Wildcat by capturing the Gulf Coast League title. Mathisen was second on the team in batting average at .295 and second in doubles. Mathisen's success at the plate is even more impressive when you consider that he had to transition to being a catcher full time after almost never doing so at the high school level. Having to re-learn a position as important as catcher may add a year to Mathisen's MLB ETA, but he seems to be handling the transition well so far. Mathisen told me that improving his catching skills has been the focus of his off-season regiment, which has included working out with Washington Nationals catcher Kurt Suziki and some Jujutsu.

"I have been working on my strength and flexibility a lot," Mathisen said. "Trying to improve my catching overall, and just keep my hitting going and getting more consistent."

Coming into the season, Baseball America has Mathisen as the fifth-best prospect in the Gulf Coast League - a list that included the top two picks in the 2012 MLB, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa and Twins outfield Bryon Buxton. Meanwhile MLB.com and ESPN's Law both have him as a top 10 prospect within the Pirates organization. Mathisen is a good athlete who also played basketball during his time at Calallen. Like Hawkins, Mathisen was also an ace for his high school team and his strong arm translates to his role as a catcher. If he can develop solid instincts behind the plate, his physical tools should make him into a solid defensive catcher. And with his approach at the plate already being solid - he has raw power and should have decent pop at the major league level, though PNC is one of the least friendly parks in the majors for righties - Mathisen, who hopes to start this season playing low-A ball in Charleston, West Virginia, is a good bet to develop into an everyday catcher at the pro level.

Less than a year after receiving their high school diplomas, Hawkins and Mathisen are receiving high praise from MLB scouts. I think it is fair to say that both of these guys are living the dream.